Oregon School District Repeals Gun Ban

Crazy times we live in now. With the country battling multi-frontal wars, both within and outside our borders. It’s very hard to categorize today’s issues as black and white. This has forced us to live in a grey world.

Over the past few years, the war over guns and gun rights has become one of the most heated battlefronts in America. One side says guns kill people, so guns are bad and need to be illegal. The other say we have been given the right to carry guns so that we can protect ourselves. This happens to be a chicken and egg kind of argument. If there were no guns then we wouldn’t need guns to protect ourselves. With guns being a part our culture for so long it is impossible to eradicate all guns in this country at once.

The St. Helens School District voted to lift the ban on teacher from carrying concealed guns on school property, provided they have the proper licenses. Oregon state law allows anyone with a concealed carry license to carry guns on school grounds but the school district ban teachers from doing so. Marshall Porter the St Helens School Board chairman feels there is no reason why the teacher should be punished.

They should have a right to protect themselves if they so choose.

In this video from abcnews.go.com, we have a teacher who is upset over the school district’s ruling on teachers being allowed to carry guns, stating that “a gun in the classroom is a teacher’s worst nightmare.”

This ruling isn’t forcing teachers to be armed in the classroom nor do I feel we should ever have to start arming teachers. I do support the idea of having a few people dedicated as armed staff members who play a protection role. Its works for the airlines-why not schools?

I just can’t see how a gun in the classroom could be as worrisome as a gun in the classroom while in the hands of someone with the intent to kill others.

Maybe we need grey answers in todays gray world. Outlawing guns will mostly affect law-abiding citizens. Those who don’t choose to follow the laws will still acquire guns, and will still use guns against law-abiding citizens. Maybe we need to look at the fact that in most cases “the shooter” is mentally ill. Improving on how we diagnose and handle the illness can only produce positive results.

I’m not sure what the best answer is, but I often feel it’s never an extreme one.

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